Hunt for best or worst wayside pulpit puns

A neglected corner of English literature is to get its own national competition at last, with the launch of an award for Britain's best "wayside pulpit". Notorious for laborious puns and facetious wordplay, the writers behind the signs outside churches and chapels are to get their first chance to compete for an annual donation to congregation funds.

The birthplace of slogans such as "Come in for a free faith lift" or "Fight truth decay", the billboards are reckoned to hide a wealth of otherwise unacknowledged talent.

Margaret Slater, of Congregational & General Insurance, the church property specialists who have organised the scheme, said: "It never fails to amaze us how many interesting posters there are - some of the puns really make you smile and we're always seeing great examples of creative copywriting.

"There are unsung heroes out there, so we'd like to reward their creativity. The competition ought to showcase creativity within the church."

Religious groups of all kinds will be invited to submit entries, with the help of leaflets which highlight many of the classics of the past. These include time honoured regulars such as "Ch..ch - What's missing? UR," and slogans aimed at current events, such as the World Cup, as in: "Rooney shoots but Jesus saves."

The pulpits have long been recognised as an opportunity of marking the presence of a lively church, so long as vicars or wardens remember to replace the messages before print fades or paper peels.

Several religious websites have specialist sections on good practice and the dangers of over-complexity or too obvious sponsorship. One example on www.fasterpastor.com, saying: "For higher needs look to Heaven - For hire needs look to PT Hire", left most passers-by baffled.

But the riskily lengthy "Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the snake and the snake didn't have a leg to stand on", was reckoned witty enough to hold interest.

The awards will be judged by a panel of clergy and marketing professionals, including a copywriter, Trevor Webb, whose professional clients have included Fiat and Maltesers. He said: "As a Christian, I welcome this chance to see how grassroots creativity is being fostered."

Another judge, the Rev Bill Snelson, who is general secretary of Churches Together in England, said: "I'm really keen to see what other creative resources we can nurture with the competition."

· Anyone, including entertained passers-by, can send in entries to www.congregational.co.uk/posters.html, or by text to 07794 997 359. The winning slogan gets a £500 donation to a church or charity.